When we invited Elle Deco Features Editor Amy Bradford to our Christmas in July press show to meet Original BTC owners Peter and Charlie Bowles, little did we know that six months later, the British manufacturing group would be proud winners of Elle Deco's inaugural 'Made in the UK' award, selected and sponsored by John Lewis. Our very first clients, we met Peter and Charlie in 2009 and have since then worked tirelessly - if we do say so ourselves - to promote the duo's 'Made in Britain' ethos. Now making up one third of our client basis with brands Original BTC, Beadlight, Branksome China, Bowles & Bowles, Davey Lighting and English Antique Glass, we raise a glass to Peter and Charlie and look forward to many more years working together.

by Jo on 29 Oct 2013

It's one of our favourite times of the year, with the December issues starting to roll in. What could be more exciting than the shiny exuberance of Living etc's bright pink cover? Turning the pages in anticipation of client coverage and popping a pink post it note on each and every piece, that's what. You can imagine our joy to find 24 appearances from 10 clients across the magazine's glorious pages. A huge thank you to Harriet Paterson, Style Director at Living etc, plus her brilliant team. A truly inspirational issue, packed full of all the fun we've come to expect from the jolliest contemporary homes magazine on the newsstands.

by Jo on 20 Oct 2013

In the topsy turvy world of PR, we never quite know which season we're in. The newspaper supplements and weeklies are working on Christmas, the national newspapers will begin in a few weeks but for the glossy magazines, Christmas was over months ago and it's onto Spring 2014. In the world of brand photography, we work even further ahead, hence finding ourselves standing in a chilly Putney alleyway shooting Talking Tables' Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Styled by the fabulous Emma Morton-Turner, you'd have no idea this tropical delight was round the back of the Carphone Warehouse, nor that the delicious-looking mini burgers are actually squashed meatballs. Brings new meaning to the phrase 'look but don't touch'.

by Jo on 01 Oct 2013

We are thrilled to have been appointed to represent British fabric house Ian Mankin. Synonymous with stripes, Ian Mankin changed the way we view textiles by elevating humble, everday materials into elegant must-haves for timeless interiors. Determined to source English weavers to create his products on home soil, he approached Lancashire mill John Spencer Textiles. On Ian's retirement, John Spencer Textiles took over the reins, formally uniting the two names that had worked together for nearly three decades. Founded in the 1860s, John Spencer Textiles is the last surviving mill in the birthplace of the industrialised cotton weaving industry. Continuing the Ian Mankin ethos of producing simple but beautiful fabrics from natural fibres, the future of the six-generation-owned family mill is also being secured. Ian Mankin's arrivval brings Portrait's stable of British manufacturing clients to ten. We certainly know the answer to the 'can Britain make it' question - yes we can!

by Jo on 22 Sep 2013

It's been a busy Design Week...or should we say, Design Three Weeks...beginning with Maison et Objet, followed by 100% Design and Design Junction where the Original BTC group launched new brands Branksome China, Beadlight and English Antique Glass. Next week, it's on to Focus at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, then Decorex, after which we'll all deserve a nice cup of tea and a sit down! In the meantime, here's Team Portrait at Design Junction, admiring the new glassware and a Spring/Summer Bowles & Bowles dining table prototype. Most appetising, I'm sure you'll agree!

by Jo on 06 Aug 2013

It's been nearly a month since our Christmas press show and we're still reeling. Despite the long hours worked and the heavy boxes lifted, the Christmas show is always the highlight of the year and this year was better than ever (if we do say so ourselves). We bit the bullet and left our usual West London HQ to head to Mercer Street Studios, which the heroic Portrait team managed to transform in to a winter wonderland in just eight hours. With 3,000 square foot of space to play with, we divided the venue into decorating roomsets and a gift guide section, headed up by a fabulous flock of Steiff creatures. Thank you all for coming and let the gift guides and shoots begin!

by Jo on 05 Aug 2013

As every fashionista and movie lover knows, it doesn't get any bigger than the September issue of Vogue. So when Vogue came a-calling asking for the biggest teddy bear we could find, we got straight on the phone to the Steiff archives in Germany to find out what they had to offer. Two days later, the mighty Maximilian rolled into town and during his week-long visit managed not only to be shot by Vogue but also Grazia. Who's a lucky boy?! As it turns out, so much posing can be tough on a teddy and poor Maximilian returned to Portrait HQ with a rather squiffy leg. What to do when a teddy gets into trouble? Simply send it express to the Steiff teddy bear clinic and spa, where Maximilian is currently recovering from his herculean efforts...

by Jo on 05 Jul 2013

It's all hands - and paws - on deck as we prepare for our A/W - Christmas press show on Thursday 11th July. Archie the hound is helpful as always, assisting Rachel assembling furniture. Deliveries have come from far and wide including boxes of Steiff toys from Germany and woven Gone Rural baskets from the villages of Swaziland. We must have had more UPS deliveries over the past few days than....well, we've had a lot. Hope to see you all next Thursday!

by Jo on 30 Jun 2013

It's a mad, mad world we live in when Christmas stockings emerge in June. But when they're as chic as new client Tori Murphy's, we can live with the madness. Woven in Lancashire, washed in the Yorkshire Dales and made up into product in Nottingam, Tori Murphy adds to our stable of Brit designer/manufacturers. Combining a natural, muted colour palette and a contemporary approach to pattern, we predict big things for the young homewares brand. Check out Tori Murphy's stunning graphic 'Chevy' throw in this month's Elle Deco, styled by the amazing Olivia Gregory. On that note, did we ever mention how much we all love Olivia's styling? Since leaving the hallowed halls of House & Garden, her work has appeared in Red and of course Elle Deco amongst others. Commissioning Editors - we want more, more, more!

by Jo on 28 May 2013

It was a particularly great weekend for client coverage with nine individual pieces in the newspaper supplements, including FT Weekend, The Times Magazine, Sunday Times Home and more. Our favourite was this cheerful botanical shoot in The Mail on Sunday's You Magazine, featuring Original BTC's yellow London table lamp, Sofas & Stuff's green Amberley chair and a woven bowl by Gone Rural.